Today's Edition
VANCOUVER (AFP)
The suspect in a Canadian car-ramming attack that left 11 dead at a Filipino street party was charged with murder, police said Sunday, adding that additional charges were anticipated.
The suspect, identified as Kai-Ji Adam Lo, 30, of Vancouver, was charged with eight counts of second-degree murder, according to the Vancouver Police Department.
Lo, who appeared in court before returning to police custody, was alleged to have acted deliberately and had a history of mental health problems, police said.
No motive has been confirmed for the Saturday evening attack in the western city of Vancouver, though terrorism was ruled out by police.
The ramming shocked the country a day before a general election dominated by US President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian products and his threat to annex his northern neighbour, long a key ally and trading partner.
Police chief Steve Rai said the 30-year-old suspect drove a black Audi SUV and had a "significant history" of interaction with police and mental health care professionals.
The Filipino community had gathered in Vancouver's Sunset on Fraser neighbourhood when festivalgoers were hit by the SUV.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a brief address to the nation, teared up as he addressed the tragedy.
Carney later visited Vancouver on Sunday, arriving with flowers in hand to attend a church vigil held in honour of the victims of the attack, according to the CPAC broadcaster.
"Last night families lost a sister, a brother, a mother, a father, a son, or a daughter," he said. "Those families are living every family's nightmare."
An AFP reporter saw police officers at the scene Saturday evening, with parts of the festival venue cordoned off.
Footage posted online and verified by AFP shows the vehicle with a damaged hood parked on a street littered with debris, meters from first aid crews tending to people lying on the ground.
